Orange hopes to use animal tariffs on prepay mobile market

Orange is hoping to unleash some of its animals onto the prepay market in the coming weeks, Mobile can reveal.

Plans have already been drafted to introduce prepay variants of the operator’s controversial animal tariffs. The Canary will be first in line to have a prepay version, with a strong emphasis on voice calls.

The Canary prepay tariff is expected to offer cheap voice calls, with the possibility of free calls off-peak, but more expensive text messages.

A new animal, created specifically for prepay, hasn’t been ruled out either, but Orange executives are understood to be keen to stretch the associations between the existing animals and their respective benefits.

Although the new animal prepay tariff has been in the works for several months, it is being cleared by new CEO Tom Alexander as it will be the first major change under his stewardship. However, insiders said he may squash the move before it has even started.

Alexander is also expected to receive extra investment from parent company France Telecom to reinvigorate Orange’s brand, deals and increase its customer acquisition budget, as the operator begins a new financial year.

A source close to Orange said: ‘The idea behind the animal tariffs was that it would bring some clarity to people confused by contract tariffs. They’re now trying to do the same for prepay.’

Not all of Orange’s staff and trading partners have found the animals cute and cuddly, with some saying they have failed to resonate with most consumers, adding to the confusion. One Orange retail staffer said: ‘Most consumers still ask, “how many minutes, how many texts?” Orange are not going to get away from that.’